Today we’d like to introduce you to Cheryl Bains
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Come watch me perform sometime! To see me sing, is to get to know me!
I grew up and spent my schooling years in Singapore, a country rich in diversity and cross-cultural expression, and yet also belong originally to India, a country with millennia of history of music-making, fine arts and high culture.
So, my first interactions with music were very much to do with my surroundings.
I started learning Hindustani Classical Music (North Indian) at the age of 5 years, up through my graduation from school. I also studied Piano, American Musical Theatre and Dance from a young age. Even as a child, this all felt natural to me.
My main discipline of training is Western Classical Music; Opera specifically, which I consider to be the most precious and unexpected gift I’ve received from India.
There’s a saying that goes something like –– “you don’t know when you start falling in love, but rather when you’re already in the middle of it”. I experienced this myself at the age of 10, in the middle of my first performance with the Austrian Cultural Forum’s Mozart Children’s Choir in New Delhi, India. The work was Pergolesi’s “Stabat Mater”, and although I already spoke the language of Western Classical Music, I didn’t realize what it meant to me, until I was truly in the thick of it during that concert.
I continued to train and develop my relationship with this music, which brought me to train with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra’s Children’s Choir, Singapore Lyric Opera Children’s Choir, and with many distinguished conductors and professors I am grateful for. This eventually culminated in my degree at the Manhattan School of Music, New York. I’ve also been very fortunate to be mentored by acclaimed Jazz composer, arranger and orchestrator, Ladd McIntosh, here in L.A.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
In the U.S, as an emerging artist, to build an audience and come out on center stage here in this beautiful industry is a challenge for sure. I believe in the magic of making music here, and the rare connection I form with an audience when we experience stories and emotion together when I sing. So, I do know what I have in me to give, and I also know that you will love what I have for you.
In other words, my road will be silky smooth when I am placed in or offered a position to connect with you regularly from center stage, here in Los Angeles.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a classical and crossover Soprano. As a classical soprano, I’ve been invited and featured in many concerts and recitals with orchestras and ensembles majorly in Singapore, India as well as New York, Los Angeles and Italy. In fact, I made my debut as a Soprano Soloist in Singapore’s prestigious Esplanade Concert Hall in Bernstein’s “Chichester Psalms” at the age of 14, and have been no stranger to the stage ever since.
In the 21st century, where there is so much musical expression, I often perform to mixed audiences, who may or may not be fully versed with classical music. This is where I thrive, and hence why I also term myself as a “crossover” artist. As my goal is firstly and foremostly to tell a compelling story, I make classical music palatable and appealing to even first-time listeners. If you’d like to know how I weave this magic, do come and watch one of my shows!
At this point, I’d also like to humbly say that I am proud of my sound education and the many opportunities I’ve had to perform and grow. Given the way I was brought up in Singapore and India, and having deeply invested myself in the study of Western and Hindustani musical traditions, I not only fell in love with the craft of performing and making music, but understanding the place in history each and every part of this craft belongs to.
My vocabulary as a musician has expanded to include composing and using composition as a tool to uniquely weave together my life experiences and the different cultures I’ve been exposed to and lived in.
To answer what sets me apart – everyone is unique. I find that people like my honesty on stage and my mission to tell a true and relatable story every time. Additionally, when I can –– I also re-interpret existing repertoire and give my take on it in the 21st century.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
It’s a never-ending love for my craft, because this love is what inspires me to stand up after falling, and always makes my pursuit worthwhile. Music means everything, and singing and connecting with people is the world to me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://cherylbains.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cherylchanteuse/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CherylBains
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2fBtuy1XcrbyKQS8JKQ4tB
